Local Foods

Alaska imports more than 95% of its food and the average grocery store only has enough food for three days. At the Sitka Conservation Society we are working towards creating a more resilient food system by supporting local efforts to protect the habitat of wild foods, support traditional harvest/subsistence lifestyles, increase local food production, create access to wild seafood, reform the school lunch program to include local foods, and increase awareness of local fishing culture.

Click on the programs and activities below to learn more:

As the ninth largest seafood port in the country, Sitka is swimming with fish. Students should have access to this nutritious, local food that drives our economy and represents the interconnectedness of our community. Local fish lunches are served twice a month at local schools. The lunch program is served with a “Stream to Plate” curriculum, taking students through the cycle in which fish mature in our waterways, are harvested by local fishermen, undergo processing by our town’s thriving seafood processors, and finally grace our dinner table.

Wild Alaskan salmon are the lifeblood of Sitka’s culture and the backbone of its economy. A summer program of the Sitka Conservation SocietySitka Salmon Tours are daily tours that provide an in-depth look on the path salmon take from the stream to the plate.

The annual Sitka Conservation Society wild foods potluck celebrates the abundance of wild local foods in the Sitka area, and gives the community a chance to share and sample an incredible variety dishes. Not only is the food always great but a lot of it comes with great stories as well, stories of hunting trips and secret hard-to-reach blueberry patches.

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In 2010 local fish was absent from the school lunch menu–now, less than four years later local fish is offered at every school in Sitka. It all started at Blatchley Middle School and along the way Keet Gooshi Heen, Pacific High, Mount Edgecumbe High, Sitka High, and SEER Schools joined the ranks. With a hugely [...]

In an effort to build community around Fish to Schools we’ve invited you to give a testimonial about the program. We’ve heard from the generous fishermen who donate to the program, to parents, to teachers, and students. The beauty in working with the schools is that everyone can be involved. Regardless of income, students can [...]